


Our Karate Kids

by Theyna_Shipper



Series: Star Wars One-Shots [18]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe- Single Parents, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Karate, Meet-Cute, Parents, Single Parents, The Kids Ship It, based on a tweet, i am trash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:20:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24514510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theyna_Shipper/pseuds/Theyna_Shipper
Summary: When Rey drops in on her daughter's karate class for Halloween, she meets Ben Solo, another single parent, and watch their children spar.Based on that tweet about Kylo Ren getting beaten up by a taco.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: Star Wars One-Shots [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1637683
Comments: 17
Kudos: 171





	Our Karate Kids

**Author's Note:**

> I saw this tweet, and naturally my idiot reylo trash brain, like any self-respecting idiot reylo trash brain, found a way to make it a reylo au. Thanks for reading!
> 
> https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/760967668272173684/

Rey looked down at her clock, and breathed a sigh of relief. She’d be early to Kira’s class, just like the little girl had been hoping, to have her mom come watch. 

Rey usually can’t make it in time to do anything other than pick her up. But today was special: it was Halloween, and all the kids would be in their costumes, and Rey finished all her work early just to come see. 

She slipped in in the last ten minutes of class, a number of other parents ringing the room. Kira was sparring in the corner with a boy, doing surprisingly and surprisingly mobile despite her cumbersome taco costume. The boy was not doing quite as well.

“KIRA!” she shouted instinctively as her daughter landed what looked like a hard kick. 

The girl looked up. “Mom! We’re _supposed_ to kick!” 

Rey went red, embarrassed at letting her instincts run away with her like that. “Sorry. Keep going!”

Kira turned back to her sparring partner, who was dressed in black robes, and continued. She clearly had the upper hand, making Rey more than a little proud of her seven-year-old.

When Kira had decided a few months ago that she wanted to take karate, Rey had been surprised but fine- a girl should know how to defend herself, and Kira could use the exercise. She’d never seen a child so energetic. And seeing how quickly her daughter had improved was very satisfying. 

She was startled out of these thoughts by a deep voice next to her. “You’re Kira’s mother?”

Rey looked up to see a tall, dark-haired man standing next to her, probably one of the other parents. It takes her a moment to recover her composure after being surprised by his appearance. “Yes,” she said. “Is that your son…?” She gestured to the boy currently being taken down by Kira. 

He nodded, a small smile crossing his lips. Lips which Rey found herself staring at. 

_Snap out of it. You’re here to watch Kira,_ she told herself. 

“That’s Anakin,” the man confirmed. “Don’t worry about Kira, by the way. He doesn’t have any siblings so your daughter is pretty much the only beating up he gets.”

Rey laughed a little. “I’m glad Kira can provide that for him. Are they usually sparring partners?”

“Every time I’ve seen.”

Rey suddenly felt guilty. Did most of the parents watch class? She usually parked outside and let Kira come out to her. But maybe she wasn’t doing enough. “Do most of the parents stay and watch class?” she asked. Rey tried her best, but with work and having no one to help with Kira, she felt like she couldn’t always do everything she should. 

“A few. I wouldn’t say most. But Anakin’s mother died when he was still a baby, so I try to be there when I can…” His voice trailed off. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have… that wasn’t….”

She shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I’m… sorry to hear that.” She’d like to continue the conversation, but this point is a bad place. “What’s Anakin’s costume? I’m afraid I don’t recognize it.”

“It’s Kylo Ren. From Galaxy Wars?”

“Right,” Rey said. “I haven’t seen the new one. Only the originals. Kira keeps telling me we should, though.”

“I’m sure my son has talked them up plenty to her,” he laughed. “He loves those movies.”

Kira rarely talked about her friends at home, so Rey is glad to find she has one here at the karate studio. Maybe they _should_ watch that movie together.

“I’m Ben, by the way.” 

“Rey.”

One of the instructors shouted something at the kids, and they started getting off the floor. Kira came running up to Rey, and Anakin to Ben. 

“You made it!” she said excitedly. 

“Of course I did, sweetie. You did great!” She gave the girl a hug, careful not to crush the costume, and ruffled her hair. “Can I take a picture of you and your friend?”

She nodded. “This is Anakin. Ani, this is my mom.”

Rey positioned them in front of a window so that she and Ben could take photos. The kids laughed and talked as they packed up their things. _He’s like the brother she never had,_ Rey thought. For some reason this makes her look at Ben again. 

Rey led Kira out of the studio to the car. 

“Were you talking to Mr. Solo?” she demanded. 

“Mm-hm. He seems nice.”

Kira grinned in a way Rey doesn’t entirely understand. 

************

Rey happened to get off work early again the next week, and stepped in to watch Kira again. She made a mental note to tell her to go a little easier on Anakin while he caught up. She was both energetic and eager to learn, making her a dangerous opponent. 

“It’s good to see your son wearing down some of Kira’s energy,” Rey joked to Ben. “Maybe she’ll burn a little less of that at home now.”

“Maybe they could have a playdate or something,” Ben suggests. “She could come to my house.”

“If it’s not too much trouble…” Rey said. Kira would love it, and Rey could have some time to herself. 

“Of course not. They’d love it.”

“Maybe we can work out… a playdate, yeah.” Rey said.Talking about a playdate made Rey think of how long it had been since she’d had a _date_ date. 

_Shut up,_ she tells herself. 

************

“That’s the fourth week in a row you’ve left early, Rey,” Rose said. “Anything you’d like to tell us about?”

“Any _one_ you’d like to tell us about?” Poe suggested, wagging his eyebrows.

Rey rolled her eyes. “I’m just going to pick up Kira.”

“You’re supposed to give us updates on operation get-Rey-on-a-date, Rey,” Finn teased. “Is there a nice single dad at Kira’s studio?”

Rey thought for a moment about mentioning Ben, but changed her mind. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She ignored their teasing as she walked to her car.

************

Kira invited her friends from school and karate to her eighth birthday party, making this the first time Rey talked to Ben outside their kids’ class. He stood next to her as they watched the children play on the grass.

“If you don’t mind my asking,” he said, “Is Kira’s father in the picture at all?”

Rey shook her head. “He left when I was still pregnant. We were both twenty, and it was just… too much for him.” She didn’t tell a lot of people that, but it felt right telling Ben. 

“Then would I be amiss in asking you out to dinner?”

“I- I’d love that,” Rey admitted. 

Neither of them noticed Kira and Anakin watching and grinning victoriously a few yards away. 

************

“Thanks for dinner, Ben, I had a great time. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a date,” she admitted. 

“Me too. I had a wonderful time.” 

Rey has forgotten what you were supposed to do from here. She hadn’t dated since Kira was a toddler. 

“May I kiss you?” Ben asked. 

She hadn’t been expecting that. “I- yes. Please.”

He cupped her cheek in his hand and brought his lips down to hers. 

Kira and Anakin- who’d shared a babysitter- watched from an upstairs window.

“They _kissed_ ,” Kira squealed to her friend. 

Anakin grinned. “I knew it!” He looked up at the girl. “Do you think we’ll be siblings?”

“Maybe. I’ll be your big sister!”

“Hey! You’re only one month older!” Anakin whined. Kira just smirked. 

************

“Did you have a nice date with Mr. Solo?” Kira asked on their drive home. 

Rey hadn’t told Kira that it was a date, but it was good for her daughter to know what was going on, especially since Rey rarely dated. “Yes, I did.”

“Are you going to marry him?” the girl demanded. 

_”Kira!”_

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments greatly appreciated!


End file.
